1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a female element of a quick connection and to a quick connection incorporating such an element.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the domain of the removable join of pipes through which a fluid passes, it is known to use a female connecting element which comprises controlled means for locking a male endpiece in a configuration fitted in the female element, i.e. with the pipes in connected configuration. The locking means may, in certain cases, be controlled by a sleeve mobile in a direction parallel to the axis of the female element. The locking elements may also be controlled by a press-button mobile in a direction substantially perpendicular to that axis, the user depressing the button when it is necessary to clear the passage for the male connection when it is to be extracted from the female element.
The present invention is applicable to this second particular type of female connecting elements, starting from the observation that it is sometimes necessary to prevent connection or disconnection of the male and female elements of a connection. This is particularly the case when safety imperatives, associated with the nature of the fluid transiting through the connection, impose a limitation of the risks of false manoeuvre. It is sometimes necessary to provide that only authorized staff can proceed with the connection or disconnection of the male and female elements of a connection, for example in the medical domain or when dangerous fluids are to be manipulated. In certain applications, the connectors may also have to be secured against the risks of theft of the fluid that they allow to circulate.
Up to the present time, it is not possible to secure such a connection efficiently.
It is a more particular object of the present invention to overcome these drawbacks.
To that end, the present invention relates to a female connecting element of the afore-mentioned type, i.e. comprising a press-button for controlling means for locking a male endpiece, which is characterized in that the button bears controlled means for selectively blocking the locking means in a configuration where a part of an endpiece is retained and/or in a configuration opposing the introduction of a part of an endpiece.
Thanks to the invention, it is possible to immobilize the button, with respect to the normal location of the endpiece in the female element, in a position where it blocks, thanks to the locking means, passage for the male endpiece, which avoids untimely connections and disconnections, while the overall dimensions of the connection are not increased to a substantial degree. The additional safety obtained by the blockage of the button is operational both when the connection is closed, in which case this blockage prevents the connection from opening, and when the connection is open, in which case such blockage prevents closure of the connection.
According to advantageous aspects, a female connecting element according to the invention incorporates one or more of the following characteristics:
The button defines a volume for receiving a part of an endpiece, this button being provided with at least one inner element in relief adapted to cooperate with at least one outer element in relief of the endpiece in order to lock it in fitted configuration, while the button is adapted to control a movement of relative moving apart of these relief elements and the blocking means may immobilize the endpiece in the housing, with the result that it is impossible to move apart these inner and outer relief elements. Thanks to this aspect of the invention, a displacement of the button does not make it possible to release the male endpiece. In a variant, the blocking means may be provided to be able to immobilize the button in a position where it is impossible to move apart the afore-mentioned relief elements. In that case, the button, blocked in its afore-mentioned position, prevents the outer relief element of the endpiece from moving apart from the inner relief element of the button, with the result that the endpiece is immobilized with respect to the button. Whatever the variant, means for elastically loading the button towards a position of engagement of its inner relief element with the outer relief element of an endpiece, may be provided.
The button is equipped with a bolt controlled by a lock.
In a first embodiment of the invention, this bolt is mobile in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of displacement of the button with respect to the body, this bolt being adapted to exert on a male endpiece an effort of hold of the endpiece in position of engagement of an outer relief element of the endpiece with an inner relief element of the female element. In that case, the button advantageously defines a housing in which an endpiece may be introduced, with the possibility of transverse movements with respect to a longitudinal axis of the female element, this bolt being adapted to prevent the transverse movements of an endpiece in this housing.
In another advantageous embodiment, the bolt is mobile in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of displacement of the button with respect to the body, between a first position where it does not interfere with the body, and a second position where it projects radially with respect to the button and may come into abutment against the body, limiting a displacement of the button in a radial direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the female element.
Whatever the embodiment of the invention, the lock may be a cylinder lock completely integrated in the button and provided with means for obturating by default the hole in which a key is introduced in the lock. In this way, the overall dimensions of the button are not substantially modified with respect to the button of the connections of the prior art, with the result that the overall dimensions of the connection remain virtually unchanged.
The invention also relates to a quick connection for removably joining two pipes, which comprises a male endpiece and a female element as described hereinbefore. Such a connection is more secure than the prior art connections, while it remains easy to use for staff authorized to manipulate the means for blocking the button.